This Upwas Medu Vada in Air Fryer recipe is really quick and easy to make and doesn’t require any soaking. Crunchy on the outside and soft inside, this Fasting Medu Vada (उपवासाचा मेदू वडा) taste so delicious that it’s like having a treat on those upvas days.
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Whether you’re fasting for Navratri, Shravan, Ekadashi or Sankashti Chaturthi, this Air Fried Farali Medu Vada will keep you energetic as it is quite filling. As this Vrat Medu Vada is Air Fried, it uses very little oil making it a healthier alternative. Check out how to make Fasting Medu Vada in Air Fryer in a quick video below.
Quick, easy to follow video with step-by-step instructions of how to make Farali Medu Vada in Air Fryer:
Fasting / Vrat food doesn’t need to be boring. When hunger pangs kick in on those Upwas days, you want something satisfying to eat that will give you some energy and keep you going. A change from your traditional fasting food, this Farali Medu Wada is perfect to satisfy your hunger cravings, is deliciously crispy and not at all bland!
Usual ingredients combined to taste better
This Upvas Medu Vada in Air Fryer is made with typical upvas ingredients that are allowed during fasting and with minimum amount of oil. The combination of these ingredients and process of Air Frying converts these Medu Vadas into a unique and delicious Vrat snack.
Ghee (clarified butter), jeera (cumin seeds), green chillies, ginger and cumin (jeera) powder add the much needed flavour to normally bland Samo Seeds ( Bhagar / Vari Tandul / Sama ke Chawal). You can adjust the amount of green chillies to make it more or less spicy according to your taste. Also, if you do not eat ginger during fasting, you can skip adding it as its entirely optional.
Yogurt / Dahi / Curd, apart from adding a slightly sour/tangy taste, makes this Upvas Medu Vada recipe light and fluffy.
Potatoes offer the much-needed binding to the Vrat ke Chawal / Moriyo / Banyard Millet dough. As Bhagar / Vari Tandul does become dry and fluffy after it cools down, potato helps to bring it all together. Without potatoes it will be almost impossible to properly, quickly and easily shape these Fasting Medu Wadas.
Peanuts add a nice crunch to these Air Fryer Fasting Medu Vadas, but remember to crush them to a COARSE powder (not fine powder). Also, roasting and peeling peanuts before crushing makes them even crunchier.
Cooking Bhagar / Vari Tandul Properly
When you cook Banyard Millet / Vrat ke Chawal, keep stirring after adding water and make sure there are no lumps, or they won’t cook properly and Vrat ka Medu Vada won’t taste good in the end.
Also, after all the water gets absorbed, lower the heat setting so that Moriyo/Bhagar doesn’t burn. Cover and cook for couple of minutes and then switch off the heat, but DO NOT open the lid. Let it rest for another 5 minutes so that each Banyard Millet grain (Bhagar / Vari Tandul) gets cooked properly to the core.
After 5 minutes open the lid and transfer and spread it in a large bowl so that it cools down and you can continue with the process of this farali recipe.
Shaping Perfect Medu Vadas
Kneading the dough really well is important to shape these Air Fryer Medu Vadas properly. DO NOT use any water while kneading.
To get the perfect shape, making a really smooth, crack-free ball is vital or the Medu Vadas will split open while air-frying. Then press the ball slightly and make a LARGE hole in the centre, from both top as well as bottom, using a greased finger. These Vrat Medu Wadas will increase in size while air frying, and if the hole is small, it will fill up and Medu Wadas won’t get the right shape.
Crunchy Outside, Soft Inside
To get perfectly crunchy Upvas Medu Vadas, pre-heat the air fryer, grease the air-fryer basket and smear oil all over the Bhagar Medu Vadas before placing them in.
As mentioned above, Medu Vadas increase in size while air frying, so only air-fry few at a time and place them slightly apart so that they don’t stick to each other, have enough room to grow and hot air easily flows all around making them nice, crisp and golden brown all over.
Turn Medu Vadas every 5 mins and apply oil everywhere over them each time whilst turning. This will ensure that Farali Medu Vadas don’t dry out and have a nice golden brown, crunchy outer layer in the end.
Following above process will give you delicious Farali Medu Vadas that are crunchy on the outside yet soft, light and airy inside. Serve this crispy crunchy Vrat snack hot with fasting chutney or whisked sweetened yogurt/curd sprinkled with some red chilli powder on top.
This savoury Farali Medu Vada recipe is not just good for people observing a fast but is also great for ones looking out to trying something new. With unique combination of flavours and textures, this satisfying air-fried Indian snack is a delicious tea-time alternative for health cautious vegetarians and also for those looking out for a gluten-free snack option.
Check out the Recipe Card and Step-by-Step Instructions with Photos below.
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Step-by-step instructions with photos for Air Fried Farali Medu Vada:
• Grind Samo seeds (Vrat ke Chawal / Moriyo / Vari Tandul / Sama ke Chawal / Bhagar / Banyard Millet) to a powder.
• Heat a pan on medium setting and add clarified butter (Ghee), cumin seeds (Jeera), green chillies, ginger (optional), powdered Samo seeds and mix well.
• To this add yogurt (Dahi/Curd), salt, cumin (Jeera) powder, water and mix well making sure there are no lumps.
• Let it cook whilst stirring occasionally till most of the water gets absorbed, then lower the heat setting and cover and cook for 2 mins.
• After 2 mins, switch off the heat, but DO NOT open the lid. Let it rest for another 5 mins.
• Then remove the lid and let it cool down.
• When it reaches room temperature, add potatoes, peanuts, mix and knead well to form a dough. DO NOT use any water.
• Now start shaping Medu Vadas. Grease your hands with some oil, take some mixture, make a smooth, crack-free ball and press it gently. Make a large hole in the centre from top and bottom with the help of a greased finger.
• Make 10 equal sized Medu Vadas in this manner.
• Apply some oil to all the Medu Vadas from all over.
• Pre-heat the Air Fryer at 200°C (390°F) for 5 mins. Grease the pre-heated Air Fryer basket with some oil.
• Place Medu Vadas slightly apart in the basket.
• Air Fry Medu Vadas at 200°C (390°F) for 10-15 mins or until golden brown.
• Turn them over every 5 mins.
• Apply oil everywhere whilst turning each time.
• Farali Medu Vadas that are crunchy on the outside and soft inside are ready.
• Serve these delicious Air Fried Medu Vadas hot!
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